Decarbonisa
what is it and what jobs does it offer?
As human beings, we have become adept at using the resources around us to make life ever more comfortable and convenient. The trouble is those resources are running out. How we find ways to reuse or replenish resources and maintain the comfort and convenience we’ve become used to is a growing part of the global economy. We look at one aspect of this challenge and the opportunities it offers for employment.
The Industrial Revolution, nearly 200 years ago, created the modern world, but it was based on fossil fuels: coal to fire power stations to make electricity, later gas to heat our homes and offices, and oil to power transport and refine into everything from plastics to lipsticks! As we all know, the problem is that burning these fossil fuels fundamentally changes the atmosphere we all breathe and the climate. And the plastics contaminate our planet and kill natural life. Unchecked, climate change will lead to the extinction of more than a quarter of life on earth, mass human migration, massive sea level rise and flooding, and more extreme storms and winds. That’s not the plot of a science fiction movie, but the science published by the United Nations. It’s all driven by carbon dioxide and equivalent “greenhouse” gases – these trap heat in our atmosphere and are being released at such a quick rate, life on earth cannot adapt to cope.
Fortunately, change is beginning to happen, recognising that we can’t continue to
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ignore the consequences of releasing carbon and similar gases into the atmosphere. In 2008, the UK was one of the first nations to introduce a law to require the whole country to achieve “Zero Carbon” by 2050. In 2015, 195 national governments committed to The Paris Agreement, which intends to reduce carbon emissions and stop global temperatures rising. This originally aimed to cap the temperatures at no more than 2° Celsius, but now striving for 1.5° as the science has been refined. The challenge for our lifetime is to deliver these big national goals and, in particular, undo 200 years of addiction to fossil fuels. It will take ideas, action, work and commitment from a lot of people to make Zero Carbon happen for real. That also means there are lots of opportunities for people delivering decarbonisation. In the coming years, we’ll see new companies grow, new jobs, new fortunes made and new inventions become everyday devices. It’s as big a chance as the first Industrial Revolution!
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